Rosaline is fantastic to work with. She made a very nerve wracking, stressful time much easier for…read moreus to navigate. We needed a night nurse for 4 weeks after having another night nurse cancel on us three weeks before our due date because they didn't book us properly and didn't have anyone available anymore. Rosaline was able to find two nurses to rotate and fill the gap for us - Ruth and Lady - both were absolutely fantastic! Even when neither were available for a night Rosaline found another nurse for us so we didn't go unsupported. Months later we had a day time nanny resign with less than 24 hour notice and found ourselves scrambling. We tried care.com which is where we found our first nanny (not Rosaline). That process was extremely stressful trying to reach out to people, coordinate interviews and hope they'd be available on such short notice. Rosaline to the rescue again! We texted her and the next day we met with Natacha and immediately hit it off. My wife and I were kicking ourselves for not contacting Rosaline sooner! If you need any level of child care do yourself a favor and contact Rosaline. You won't regret it.

Hiring Roseline as a night nurse was the absolute best decision my husband and I made. With both…read morec-section deliveries, she joined us on our first night back from the hospital and was the most calming, reassuring and loving presence in our house. Roseline is also extremely knowledgable when it comes to newborn care - we learned how to bathe, feed and burp, change, swaddle, comfort, what products to get for the nursery and so much more from her. Roseline was with us until the girls slept through the night (first baby 11 weeks, and second baby 10 weeks). Roseline gave us so much peace of mind during our babies' first few months and exceeded every expectation we had. I truly don't know what I would have done without her. We were hesitant to let her go, even after our daughters were sleeping through the night.

Money EXTREMELY well spent in preparing for birth and parenthood!…read more Long overdue review of the wonderful team and services at Family Picnic! My husband and I took the Power of Birth class, along with Breastfeeding 101 this past winter before my son was born. Best thing we did. To say we learned a lot is putting it mildly and more importantly it helped us to frame what was important to us for the birth. It empowered us knowing what we could change and affect - and of course what you cannot, which is a lot with birth! By having the knowledge to make choices as they arose I felt more at ease with the loss of control that comes along. One of the most valuable support systems I had post baby was Sue and Rebecca with their knowledge and support around breastfeeding. Sue came for a visit when my son was just three days old to make sure he was latching and things were looking good and let us know what we should be looking for, how long he should feed for etc etc. It was so reassuring to have her in our home for the visit to see how things were going. In the months after she and Rebecca were always available via text or email when I had a question about breastfeeding or pumping. I credit Sue with keeping me calm and encouraging me to trust my motherly instincts when it came to feeding. And as an added bonus they are both just such great people!

When I was on the Bowmanville Garden Walk last year, before I even got pregnant, I noticed Family…read morePicnic in the neighborhood as I was walking around. I made note of it in hopes that I'd successfully achieve a pregnancy and might check out the programs here, and once I was pregnant signed up for their mailing list. They offer a variety of services from doula and lactation support, childbirth and early childhood classes, to various parent & baby groups. I was here because I attended a music program for babies that was held here and hosted by a partner organization. The space is really lovely and welcoming to parents and children; there are gathering spaces, chairs, pillows, and whatnot. You'll need to take your shoes off when you enter so don't wear lace up thigh high boots! There are great east facing windows that let in enough light that I think when I was here we didn't even have the lights on. I'd like to attend a group that they have here (and as of September 2023 they have a check-in offer for just that, so I hope to use it soon!). The other two parent/baby groups at the music class we went to have been in attendance here because they knew one another, and it would be great to have a community closer to my neighborhood. Parking is ample--it's not a permit zone on Damen itself, though I'm not sure about the side streets. I'd encourage any new parent to see what they have to offer.

I knew going into my first pregnancy that I wanted to hire a doula for birth. CFD offers to match…read moreyou with one of their doulas, who will provide prenatal, postnatal and during birth support. I wanted to go with a group like CFD because, in the event that my doula wasn't able to make it to my birth (which can happen with the uncertainty of birth!), they would match me with a backup doula. I was matched with Shelley around 11 weeks, and we initially met on Google meets, then in person at a local coffee shop. Shelley was super personable and a kind and calming presence. I always felt like I could reach out to her via text to discuss how the pregnancy was going. We scheduled another in-person meet up (a birthing class with just my husband and me) closer to when I was due. The birthing class was super helpful, to the extent that my husband, and I didn't feel like we needed a long birthing class offered by the hospital. My water broke at 39w on the dot, and Shelley happened to be at another birth at the time. CFD reached out to us right away via text to work out whether we would like to go with a backup doula. When I decided I did, they sent Rachel over asap with little stress or organizing on my part. Rachel did an excellent job during birth and offered the exact type of support I needed: the ability to talk through options with someone knowledgeable. She stayed with me afterwards through a traumatic hemorrhaging experience when my husband was split between me and our baby. I debriefed with both Rachel (in-person immediately after birth) and Shelley (later via zoom), which helped me process my birth experience. Shelley was so sweet and felt badly about missing my birth (though it was not her fault!) that she offered to come watch our baby for a couple hours so my husband could go on a date night. I would absolutely use CFD again and work with either Shelley or Rachel. Both are wonderful doulas. She even took photos (upon my request) during birth.

Our doula Shelley was a back up for our doula who got sick. We couldn't have asked for a better and…read moremore professional experience from both of our doulas. I did an unmedicated birth, Shelley showed up with a positive attitude after a night of getting induced. She arrived just as the sun was rising and helped me through 7 hours of contractions! I never felt worried or scared, she reassured me that my baby was happy and healthy. She continued to work with me and my husband and helped me take the edge off the pain of the contractions with counter pressure, cold packs and changing positions. She never left my side to even eat or use the bathroom! I will use her for my future deliveries. We really had the best birth experience and I truly think Shelley had a lot to do with it!

Mary has been our lactation consultant for 1 year. She had been part of my support network since we…read moresaw her during an at-home visit when my daughter was 1 month old. I'd count her as one of the women that I've most leaned on as a first-time mother. She is a walking book of knowledge on everything child related. She is kind and passionate and always available. I'm not sure where we'd be without her. We are so grateful to have her in our lives.

Leah Lemelin helped me trust my body more, feel calmer, and more present with what I was…read moreexperiencing. I felt more in command and confident throughout. I thought I wanted a doula just for the day of delivery but what I found was that the work we did together before delivery is what altered the whole experience. It was deeply supportive and prepared me in a way I didn't even know I needed or was possible. So, even if you are an experienced mom, you are having a traditional medical birth, having Leah as your doula will deepen your experience and give it back to you as truly yours in a profound way. I can't thank her enough for walking with me through it and guiding me into myself so I could remember my own agency and power and strength in it all.

: Not a nice person. Be sure to check her return policies…read morefor any items you consider purchasing as the belly binder a is ripped up sheet (muslin) that you can purchase at your local Joann's . This is the video I was given for the technique. I can't include it due to Yelp rules, but it is a regular person's YouTube account, not even one of the doulas or Maura. Search Bengkung Belly Binding on YouTube and a ton of videos will come up. The binder did not help me feel held in. I asked for a refund and was told the price was mainly for the doula coming to my house--which was unnecessary because the YouTube video was the guide. After continued times trying to reach a reasonable resolution, Maura told me that I was harassing her. (What the heck weirdo woman?) What doula worth anything speaks to a mom of a 2 week old that way. Beware!!!!!!!!! This doula is unstable and no new mom needs that. Get a Bellefit binder. It helps without dealing with a psycho doula.

Maura was a joy to work with before, during, and after the birth of my little one…read more She obviously approaches her work with a great deal of professionalism that isn't always present in the birthing world. For example, her email communication is clear and prompt, she is obviously very well organized, and she gave me sweet little new-mama-related gifts at our first meeting, as well as after Baby's birth. But all that is not reason enough to hire a doula, right? When I first met Maura, I must confess I was a bit dismayed by her youth. Although I knew she had lots of experience supporting births and more medical training than most doulas, there was a part of me that wanted an older presence on my birth team. Well, thankfully the rational part of me won out over this other, ageist part, because Maura was wonderful and everything we (my husband and I) could have wanted. And I'm sure she's probably not quite as young as she seemed that first day ;) My labor and birth were pretty quick, uncomplicated, and relatively painless. I don't think I actually noticed Maura much during the process. However, when I watched the video of my baby's birth (which Maura was happy to film and photograph for us), I noticed Maura was the one who'd pick up on how I was feeling and cheer me on when I seemed to need it, and my husband and mom (who I wanted hands-on with me) would follow her lead. She just seemed to have this way of fitting in and being exactly what we needed her to be at the time, even though we ourselves didn't know what that was. After Baby's birth, she provided encouraging support and a postpartum visit to see that all was going well for our family. She was pretty awesome answering my questions via text, about all things from newborn poop to homeopathic remedies. I know that she will soon begin to study midwifery, but if you find her still offering doula services, I would highly recommend adding her to your list of doulas to consider.

This review is hard to write. I do not recommend Dr. Lawler. He is a pro-life catholic who did not…read moreappropriately disclose my options for non-invasive prenatal genetic testing. I was high risk for chromosomal abnormalities due to my advanced maternal age. He is a caring doctor, yes, but he failed me as a patient. If an OBGYN chooses to bring their religion to their practice then they MUST be upfront about it to expectant mothers. If this was California, he could've lost his license. Thankfully I found a different OBGYN during my 2nd trimester and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Dr. Lawlor epitomizes professionalism, care, empathy, bedside manners, and love. He is a wonderful…read moreman of God who places the importance of pro-life values in his work. As a woman who is pregnant with her first child, it was very difficult for me to find a doctor who had the same morals and values as I. It was very important for me to find someone who is against abortion because I I want my child and myself to be cared by someone who values life. I am so happy I found dr. Lawler because every time I come in for my pregnancy check-ups, he is always providing medical wisdom, but also providing a spiritual presence, referring to my baby as a child of God with a soul.

I just want to start off by saying I am so happy to have had Robin for the birth of both of my…read morechildren. She has the most calming presence and made the experiences the best that they could be. I am so honored that she shared the experience with my husband and I and wish I could just sing her praises all day long, but I will try to offer some helpful information too! I took her hypnobirthing class before the birth of my son. At the time I wasn't sure if I would use a doula but was sure about wanting to try a water birth along with hypnobirthing. Robin's class made me feel very comfortable and it was a nice size and a mix of new parents and second time or vbac parents. It was a good chance to practice and to really talk through the entire experience. She gave out recommendations for different things to help with pregnancy and birth but was never pushy or judgmental about using them. It was about doing what we thought would be best for us. There was homework and preparation, but I found that helpful since this is such a new experience to go through. Before the class was over we decided to have her be our doula and that was the best decision we have ever made. She was so supportive and was on board to whatever we wanted to do. Also, if I was embarrassed about call my midwife about something I would ask Robin who also responded to me so quickly. The birth of my son was different than my original plan, but she still helped to make it the best experience possible. My husband was so helpful to have her and later said to me that we would definitely use her when we eventually had our next child! When I did get pregnant with my second child I used Robin again and she was still above and beyond amazing! Plus, she offers post partum help, as she did with my son, and was still so quick with her responses. I had my perfect birth with my second and that is largely in part to the partnership that Robin and I had during my pregnancy and labor. Robin was meant to do this and you will be extremely happy to either take her class or to use her as your doula!

100% recommend. All I can say is WOW. This was a service I never knew I wanted or needed so…read moregreatly. Robin was an angel and a confidant. Real and trustworthy. She was there for me, my son, and my husband before, during, and after birth. Having her as part of my birth story will be something I'm forever grateful for and if I'm blessed enough to have another child, I'll want her on my team again. Ps: She offered to snap photos of when I gave birth, capturing moments I would never have had without her. What a gift.

We had a fantastic experience with Suzanne. She was knowledgeable, encouraging, considerate, and…read morefantastic with the baby. She helped our baby over a handful of appointments (~2 months, every couple weeks) to tackle torticolis, which was so successful that we were able to avoid having to do any baby helmet treatment (usually ~$2000 because it's typically not covered by insurance since it's considered cosmetic). Our baby had a flat spot on the side of her head early on, so with the recommendation by her pediatrician we went for a helmet consultation relatively early around 3 months. They said treatment couldn't start until baby had sufficient neck control and the treatment would likely need to be combined with PT. To get ahead and because we really didn't want to do the helmet if possible, we pursued PT as soon as we could. It was impossible to find anyone in our insurance network and everyone we looked into had rates that were about the same. My own PT for postpartum recovery and other locals highly recommended Kids on the Grow, so we went with them! They also came to our place for all of the appointments, which was extremely helpful as sleep deprived first time parents. With baby PT you need to be involved and do "homework" with your baby in between appointments, but they make it really fun and it's wonderful to see the progress!! Initially we did have some issues contacting their office because they didn't get any of our emails or phone calls. My own PT had to help connect us via email. Otherwise, once we got a hold of them the staff who we also communicated with were very good. All paperwork was done digitally, which was super convenient.

Great clinic! Wonderful therapist who are in tune with the needs of their clients. I had such a…read moregreat experience and my child made so much progress! The clinic was always hygienic which says a lot for a place that specializes in working with children.